Vending machine



oct. 19, 192s. 1,603,517

D. H. BEELMAN VENDING MACHINE Original Filed July 23, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inn/Enron. BY-

Oct. 19 1926. 1,603,577

. D. H. BEELMAN VENDING MACHINE Original Filed July 25, 1923 v2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Iwvculom.

Patented (let. 19, 1926.

narran sf DAVID H. BEELMAN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

VENDING MACHINE.

Original application filed July 23, 1923, Serial No. 653.087. Divided and this application filed November My invention is an improvement in vending machines, and relates more especially to that particular type in which the articles to be dispensed are stacked in a compartment and discharged from the lower end of the stack upon the operation of mechanism released by the insertion of a coin.

This application is a division of my pending 'application for patent filed July 23, 1923, Serial No. 653,087, and the subjectmatter herein claimed refers particularly to the coin controlled mechanism for releasing the article-discharging mechanism.

The principal object of that part of' my invention claimed herein is to provide a coin-controlled mechanism, simple in construction and positive in action, which will securely lock the operating shaft of the article-discharging mechanism against movement and is actuated by the weight of acoin to automatically release the shaft; said coin-controlled mechanism in the present instance being employed in connection with article-discharging mechanism of particular construction including a pawl and ratchet device acting on the shaft to require a full stroke of the operating lever in either direction before permitting of a return movement thereof, all as hereinafter fully described in the complete disclosure of my improved vending machine.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a vending machine embodying` my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same with the lower end of the casingl broken away to show the coin-controlled and article-discharging mechanisms.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the coin-controlled mechanism for normally locking the operating shaft of the article-discharging mechanism, the parts being shown in locked position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the mechanism released by a coin.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the plate or casting on which the coin-controlled mechanism is mounted.

7 is a horizontal sectional view on ci Fig. 4r..

Serial No. 67,779.

Figs. 8 and 9 are side and edge views, respectively, of the pivoted dog forming part of the releasing mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation showing the connected s rocket and ratchet wheels of the article-disc iarging mechanism.

Fig. 11 is an elevation of' the pawl and ratchet device acting on the operating-shaft to compel a full lever-stroke in either direction.

Fig. 12 is a detail front elevation of the article-discharging mechanism including the pawl and ratchet device cooperating therewith. A

ln carrying out my invention the casing of the vending machine is of a conventionai shape with a main or body portion 10 and forwardly-projecting lower extension 11, the upper part of the body portion being divided by a partition 12 to provide separate compartments for the articles to be vended while the lower part is separated by the bottom 13 for the compartments and contains the mechanisms hereinafter described, being protected from the articles Idischarged by an inclined plate 1/1 continued ,from the bottomplate 13 and terminating slightly in the rear of an opening 15 through which the articles are removed from the machine. Between each side wall 0f the casing and adjoining side wall, as 16, of the compartment for the articles there is a space to receive a coincliute 17 entrance to which is by way of the coin-slot 18 in the front of the casing, each coin-chute termina-ting above and in line with its companion coin-controlled mechanism as shown in Fig. 3.

As the coin-controlled mechanism, articledischarging mechanism, and pawl and ratchet device are duplicated with respect to each compartment so that the latter may contain different articles which may be vended independently a description of the set of mechanism for one compartment will apply also to the other, like numerals of reference being used.

The articles A are stacked in the compartment upon the bottom 13 and are discharged down the inclined plate lllone at a time by means of insbe 19 on an endless sprocket-chain 2O driven l .f' sprocket-wheel. 2l .loosely mounted en the main shaft 9.3

supported at one end by a side Wall ofthe casing and at th-e other end by a vertical standard 23, lsaid sprocket-Wheel being turned by a paivl and ratchetnvheel. The ratchet-Wheel 24, is secured to one side of the sprocket-Wheel and freely turns on the shaft therewithnvhile the puivl, 25, is pivoted to the outer end of an arm 26 ixed to the shaft by means oit a hub 2T (Fig. l2), whereby said paivl and ratchet-Wheel mechanisinwi'll be actuated to turn the sprocketivheel on operation of the lever '28 secured to the outer end; ot theshaltt beyond one side ot the casing; it beingy noted by reference to Fig. 3 that a separateshatt is employed for the sprocketvflreel, 31e., below each articlecoinpartment. Backward movement ci the combined spioclretand ratchet Wheel is preventedI by means of 'ay spring catch or paWl 29 secured to and projecting downwardly tromv the underside ofthe bottom'vplate i3. It will be noted that the. lovver portion only ot the endless sprocket-chain 2U is engaged by the spro cliet-ivheely 2l and that the upper portion oill said chain passes over a depressed. port-ion 30 ot the bottom-plate 13, said depressedr portion practically providing a channelfor the passage ol the sprocketchain below the stack of articles at the center thereof and that the pnshe-rs l) project outwardly from the sprocl-:c't-chain only a suiicient distance to engage the lowermost article of the stack as the chain travels along said channel. To properly guide that por tionof the sprocket-chain removed from the sprocket-Wheel to and from the. aforesaid channel there are idle-Wheels 31 and 32, Wheel 82 being vpreferably provided with teeth (as shown) andsupported' in a bracket 38 'rising from the bottom ot' the. casing While Wheel 3l is in the formeren ordinary plain roller. The rear Wall 3-1- of the articlecompartment is slightly in advance of the rear end o1- the upper horizontal stretch oi the sprocket-chain, orr in front otthe idleroller 31, and the lower end of this v'all is provided With an opening 35 through which the pusliers 19 pass to the channel, and to aline the forward end of the stack oi4I articles, as books orfpamph'lets A; slightly in front of the for-Ward end' of said horizontal stretch of sprocket-chain there is a vertical plate 36 spaced from theirontivall ot' the casing by brackets 3T. Furthermore, to prevent-articles from being extractedv from the machine by passinga wire upthrough the discharge opening l5 a swinging; door 38 is located above the upper portion-ot' the inclined plate lil: With its lower end resting' thereagainst, the doorsivinging outwardly utor the passage of an article by the same.

Ashereinbetore explained the combined sprocket-Wheel and ratchet-Wheel are loosely mounted on the operating` shaft 22 and are turned by the pawl 25 at the outer end of the arm 26 fixed to said shaft, and of course the lever 28 operating` the shaft and arm is limited in its movement torturn the spinaci-zetivheel the required distance to move the sprocket-chain a sutticient distance to/dis` charge an article by the pushers l9--a plurality oit the latter being used and spaced accordingly. New in order to compel 'tull stroke ot the operating' lever in both d1l" tions a'iter release ot theoperating shalt by the coin-controlled mechanism hereinafter described, and thereby prevent a manipulation of said lever (as by partial movement of theV same back and forth) to discharge more than one article uponthe insertion foi a single. coin, l provide an autihary pawl and ratchet device, more clearly illustrated in Figs. ll 'and 12 For this ,purpose la ratchet-'Wheell is heed yon the sha'l't to turn therewith., being preferably formed integral with the hub 27 ot the operating arm 26 carrying paivl 25 andl located at one side of aI bracket tO-.depending from the bottomplate 13, andas said ratcliet--\vheel h s a limited osciHating-rotary movement, corresponding* with the n'iovement ot the operating-lever 2S. a segn'iental portion thereof is provided With teeth and the other portion extended to form a downwardly and 'tor- Wardly projecting arm 39a actuated by a spring Lil serving to return saidl ratchetwheel and shait to normalI position. Adapted to engage this ratchet-Wheel alterinitelj.Y are pawls 4t2 and 43 pifvoted to the bracket ai() above the ratchet-Wheel and actuated towards each other in Iengagement with said ratchet-Wheel by a coiledV spring) connecting` them. For moving one ot the parvis' away from the ratchet-Wheel while the other is in eng-agement therewith, andv vice versa, I provide a tappet which is pivotod between said pawls to the bracket fl() audhas a depending` tail-piece t" l f the lower eno ot which is in the path of spaced apart pins 46 Li6 projecting from the lace ot the ratchet- Wheel, the ends of the upper portion or cross-head of the tappet Working in recesses at the inner sides ot the parvis and against inclined surfaces termed by said rec es: that is to say, when the tappet` is rocked or positioned so that one end oi its crosshead is in the deeper part ol the re one ot the paivls that paivl-ivill be in en p ment with the ratchet-Wheel and the other end of said cross-piece will be in engagement with the inc-l ined surl'ac'e'ot' the rece s in the other pavvlto hold said pavvl out or en -i ment with the ratchet-wheel, and vice versa when the tappet is roel-:editi the other direction, it being` understood ot course thatV the pins 416 are spaced to correspond with the full movement of the operating lever 2S and shaft 22. In Fig. ll the parts of this ratchet and paivl device are shown in the position they assume when the mechanism ot the vending machine is in normal position for operation by the insertion of a coin, and when the shaft is turned in the direction of the arrow pawl 42 will travel over the teeth and prevent backward movement, thereby compelling a full stroke, and in like manner pawl 43 will operate to compel a full return stroke inasmuch as the pins 4G on the ratchet--wheel shift the tappet at the end of each stroke of the lever. This arrangement not only prevents the operating lever and shaft from being operated by short intermediate strokes back and forth but being held against backward movement it protects the purchaser or operator, as for instance should the operator inadvertently release the lever before completing a full stroke it will be held to position to permit the stroke to be completed. A continuous return stroke of the lever is also assured, either by manipulation of said lever or by the spring 4l.

The mechanism hereinbefore specifically described forms the subject-matter of the claims of my application referred to and is shown and described herein for a complete disclosure of my invention, inasmuch as said mechanism or mechanisms effectively coopcrate with my improved coin-controlled mechanism which I will now fully describe.

The coin-controlled mechanism is mounted on a supporting plate or casting 5() disposed vertically in the lower part of the casing l() alongside of the combined sprocket-wheel and ratchet-wheel with the main operating shaft 22 passing through the lower part of a thickened body portion of said plate and thel coin-chute 17 terminating on a line with and above a vertical passageway 5l into which the coin drops for the operation of this mechanism. The formation of the supporting plate or casting is clearly shown in Fig. (i, from which it will be seen that the mechanism is attached tothe body portion 50El and that the front wall of the passageway 5l 4through which the coin 52 passes is provided with an arc-shaped pocket 5lacooperating with a pivoted dog 53 forming part of the locking mechanism, the passageJ way extendingl from the upper end of the body portion-where the coin enters-to the lower end thereof-where the coin is discharged,-and is of sufficient width to receive the coin and pivoted dog (Fig. 5) with the rear wall of said passageway curved in the arc of a circle for the operation of the dog as hereinafter described. rl"here is a curved slot 54 in the front wall of the passageway beginning at the upper front end of the body portion of the supporting plate and terminating near theV lower end thereof where it is contracted to form a. notch 55, theslot and passageway providing an inwardly-projecting wall 56 having an .inner edge curved in the segment of acircle while the rear edge of the slot and rear wall of the passageway' coincide for a greater portion of the length of the passageway or to near the discharge end thereof.

r1`he operating shaft 22 through the body portion of the supporting plate at the lower end'thereof in the rear ofthe curved slot 54, and at the forward end of said body portion, on a horizontal line with the shaft 22, there is a stub-shaft 57 carrying levers 58 and 59 at opposite sides of the supporting-plate and between the upper ends of which the dog 53 is pivoted to suspend therefrom in the passageway 5l, the levers eX- tending below the stub-shaft and body portion of the supporting-plate for the connection thereto of a link 60 extending from an operating-arm 61 securedto the shaft 22 for the operation of the levers by said shaft. The pin 58a connecting the upper ends of the levers 5S and 59, and on which the dog 53 is pivoted, works in a curved slot 70 in the supporting-plate. The lever 58 provides the means for locking the operating-shaft 22 against movement and for this purpose the upper end thereof is engaged by a catch 62 pivoted at 63 and having a forwardly projecting tail-piece or member 62a engaged by the forward end of a horizontal triplever 64, the latter being operated by the swinging-clog 53 in the manner hereinafter described. A fiat spring 65 bears lightly on the catch and a helical spring 66 exerts a light tension on the tripping-lever being connected to the rearwardly-projecting end thereof. The dog 53 which works in the passageway Aand receives the coin 52 between it and the pocket 5l:L has a rib 53'L1 projecting through the curved slot 54, with the forward edge of said rib corresponding in shape with the curved edge 56a and the rear edge presenting a curved surface 53b engaging the trip-lever G4, the lower end of the rib being round-ed to engage in the notch 55 when the parts are in normal position to be operated by a coin. The lower edge of the rearwardly projecting portion of the rib providing the lever engaging surface 531 is curved and the lower part of the rear edge curved in an opposite directiony from said lever engaging surface so as to ride over the inner end of the yielding spring-actuated trip-lever on the return or backward movement of the upper end of the lever 58 carrying said dog.

The normal position of the cooperating parts of the coin-controlled mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the lever 58 being locked by the catch 62 to prevent movement of the shaft 22 which opcrates sprocket-wheel 21 of the article-discharging mechanism with the suspended dog 53 in engagement with the curved wall 56 and notch 55 for swinging movement rear-` ward by the weight of the coin as it passes into the pocket 5l, when the parts will .gage said pawl 4Q to the shaft, the return or rearward sume the position `shown in Fig. 5, from which it will be understood that as the dog swings rearward the rib thereon raises the forward end of the trip-lever which actuates the catch to release the locking-lever 58 for the operation of the article-discharg ing mechanism by a forward movement of the operating-lever 238 attached to theoperating-shaft 22. This operation of the shaft not only turns the sprocket-wheel and vsprocket-chain a predetermined distance through the intervention ot the ratchetwheel 24e and pawl 25 for discharging an article from the bottom of the stach by one of the pushers 19 on the sprocket-chain but also operates 'the auxiliary ratchet-wheel 39 Ato change position of the pawls l2 and 4:3 acting on said ratchetwheel for preventing backward movement of the shaft. After an article has been discharged down the incline lll from the compartment by a complete forward stroke of t-he operating lever 28 the parts of the coin-controlled mechanism and operating-shaft may be returned to normal position either by ymanipulation of said operating-lever yor automatically by the action of spring il pulling on the arm 39 attached -to and proj ectino' from the sha i't 22, in either instance the pawl 43 "now engag the ratchet-wh-eel 39 to prevent bachward n'iovemerrt` From the foregoing description .it will he readily seen that the coin-controlled mechanism will positively loch the shaft from voperation by the hand-lever until a coin is dropped into the chute and passes into the pocket 5la to operate said mechanism for releasing the shaft, and that .it absolutely insures a complete operation for the discharge of an article before the coin is discharged by reason of the cooperation there with of the p'awl and ratchetdevice inasmuch as when the coin releases the locking mechanism a movement of the locking-lever and dog a suiiicient distance to discharge the coin out of the pocket past the lower end ofthe dog will position the upper catchen'd of said lockinglever beyond the end of the' catch,` and pawl il-2 of the cooperating pawl and ratchet device being in engage-ment with the ratchet-wheel 39 wil prevent the lockinglever 58 vbeing returned to normal position until the forward stroke thereofcorrespond-ing to the full forward strohe of the hand-lever ,llmis comlale'ted to disen- V lVhen the forward stroke of 'the vhand-lever and lockinglever 58 is completed-sinniltaneeuslv operating the shaft 22 and article dii-icharging `mecl'ianism to deliver an article-the parts vare returned to normal position automaticallyby spring L tl 'pulling on arm Bilt/keyed movement ofthe locking-lever swinging dog. 53 Vdownward in the coin passagel ell until the laterally projecting` rib 53 thereon -is ennenas-77 gaged by the trip-lever Gil and its lower end engages the notch 55, meanwhile the upper end of said locking-lever has lifted the outer end of the spring-actuated catch 62 and is engaged thereby so that the parts of the coin-controlled mechanism are then in the normal position shown in Fig. fl.

l. ln a vending machine, the combination with an oscillating-rotary shaft for operatf ing the article-discharging mechanism, of coin-controlled mechanism cooperating with said shaft and comprising a locking-lever connected thereto, a catch engaging the locking-lever, a pivoted dog carried by said loching-lever and actuated y by the coin, and means operated by the dog for moving the catch out of engagement with the lockingle'ver. I

2. In a vending machine, the combination with an oscillating-rotary shaft for operating lthe article-discharging mechanism, of coin-controlled mechanism cooperating with sait shaft and comprising a locking-lever connected thereto, a catch engaging the locking-lever at ,the end of its movement in one direction, a pivoted dog carried by said locking-lever and actuated by the coin, and a trip-loyer interposed between the dog and catch for moving the latter out of engagement with the ioclringdever.

3. In a vending machine the combination with an oscillating-rotary shaft for operating the articledischarging mechanism, of coin-controlled mechanism cooperating with said shaft and comprising a locking-lever vconnected thereto, a ypivoted catch engaging the locking-lever at the end of its movement in one direction and having a tail-piece by which it is moved out of engagement with said locking-lever, a pivoted dog carried by the locking-lever and actuated by the coin, and a tripping-lever operated by thepivoted dog and engaging the tail-piece of the catch to release the latter from the lockinglever.

t. In a vending machine, the combination with an oscillating-rotary shaft for operating the article-discharging mechanism, of coin-controlled mechanism cooperating with said shaft and comprising a lockinglerer connected thereto and mounted on a supporting-plate having a vertical coin-passage, a pivoted dog suspended rfrom the lockinglever in the coin-passage and adapted to be moved by the coil as it passes through the coin-passage, a vcatch pivoted to the supporting-plate and Ypositioned to engage the locking-lever in normal position ofthe latter, said catch having a projecting tail-piece by which it is operated, and a trip-lever operated `by the movement of the pivoted dog and engaging the tail-piece of the catch to release said catch from the locking-lever.

5. In a vending machine, the combination lll() with an oscillating-rotary shaft for operating the article-discharging mechanism, of coin-controlled mechanism cooperating with said shaft and comprising a locking-lever connected thereto and mounted on a supporting-plate having a vertical coin-passage With a pocket at one side of the same to receive the coin and a curved slot through the front of said supporting-plate communicating with the coin-passage, said curved slot terminating at its lower end in the form of a notch, a dog pivoted to and suspended from the locking-lever within the coin-passage for operation by the coin and having an outwardly-projecting rib rounded at its lower end to engage in the notch with oppositely curved surfaces at its rear edge, said rib projecting through the aforesaid curved slot in the sup orting-plate, a catch engaging the loclringever, and means interposed between the rear edge of the rib on the dog and said catch for releasing` the latter by movement of the pivoted dog.

6. In a vending machine, the combination with an oscillating-rotary shaft for operating the article-discharging mechanism, of coin-controlled mechanism cooperating` with said shaft comprising a locking-lever connected thereto and mounted on a supporting-plate having a vertical coin-passage with an arc-shaped pocket in one side thereof to receive the coin and a curved slot through the front of said plate communicating with the coin-passage, said curved slot terminating at its lower end in the form of a notch, a dog pivoted to and suspended from the locking-lever within the coin-passage for operation by the coin as it enters the coinpocket and having an outwardly-projecting rib rounded at its lower end to engage in the notch, said rib projecting through the aforesaid curved slot, a catch engaging the locking-lever, and a trip-lever interposed between the pivoted dog and catch and operated by the rib on said dog to release the catch.

7. In a vending machine, the combination with an oscillating-rotary shaft for operating the article-discharging mechanism, of

coin-controlled mechanism cooperating with said shaft comprising a locking-lever connected thereto and mounted on a supportingplate having a vertical coin-passage with an arc-shaped pocket in one side thereof to receive the coin and a curved slot through the front of said plate communicating with the coin-passage, a swinging-dog pivoted to and suspended from the locking-lever within the coin-passage for operating by the coin as it enters the coin-pocket and having a rib projecting through the aforesaid curved slot, a catch engaging the locking-lever, and a tripping-lever operated by the rib on the swinging-dog and engaging the catch to release the same from the locking-lever.

8. In a vending machine, the combination with an oscillating-rotary shaft for operating the article-discharging mechanism, of coin-controlled mechanism cooperating with said shaft comprising a locking-lever connected therto, a catch engaging the lockinglever, a pivoted dog carried by said lockinglever and actuated by the coin, and means operated by the dog for moving the catch out of engagement with the locking-lever to permit the shaft to be turned for operating the article discharging mechanism, together with a ratchet-wheel secured to the shaft, spaced apart pa'wls engaging the ratchetwheel alternately during the opposite movements of the shaft, a tappet-member op-erating the pawls, and pins on the ratchet-wheel for moving the tappet-member at the end of the opposite movements of the operating shaft, whereby when the locking-lever is released a continuous movement of the same in opposite directions is assured.

DAVID H. BEELMAN. 

